Super Bowl Weekend

Snow sliding with dad

It's Super Bowl weekend! We throw the fantasy football party at our place. This will be the first one on the farm. Should be a great turnout and the potluck brings out some very good grub. Now let's just hope we have a great game to watch. My prediction: Packers 31 - Steelers 27.

The holiday on Wednesday went off great. Holiday you say? Yeah, Groundhog Day! It happened to correspond with a huge winter storm that kept us home for a snow day. Very nice. The sleet we got made the snow heavy but the total snowfall was around 10" at the farm. Oh, and Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, so spring is right around the corner!

Nominations for the Oscars were announced last week. I think seeing The King's Speech was a very good idea! It leads all movie noms with 12 including the big ones for screenplay, director, and best picture. I have the scorecard for the Oscar Game already. You can download and print it off on the Popdose site. I was thinking about collecting $5/entry to make it interesting. Last year it was just Brooke and I with entries, and I came back for the victory because Brooke choose the wrong Supporting Actress winner. Either way we do it, it's a fun game. So if you want to play, print off the scorecard, make your picks and get them to me before Oscar night on Feb. 27th. I'll be including this info on future posts this month. [Oscars.com & IMDb.com & Popdose]

Moon Dough farm at the farm!

Here's a cool study guide link for Oscar nominated films you might not know about. [Huffington Post]

Another prediction study guide for who's looking good to take home the golden guy. [Time]

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

Where does Boston put all their 70+ inches of snow? Snow farms, of course. [New York Times]

Here's 5 Myths of the Super Bowl for this Super Weekend. [Washington Post]

Stay warm!

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She's fly like a G6...

Days are longer, but it's getting COLD!

Here we GO!

We'll kick the post off with more sledding pictures from earlier this week. I love the one where Rowan and Gus are all laid back getting pulled toward the parking lot! Too funny and cute. If you missed the video from the blog post on Tuesday, you need to go to the blog online to see videos. Make sure you do that! Heck, make sure you click and read the blog from the web site! Don't be lazy and read it from your inbox...

We can already tell that the days are getting a bit longer. I think sunrise will move into the 7 o'clock hour this weekend. Still means Brooke's doing most her morning work with the sky dark, but it is getting better. Now the temps are another story. We're going to have our coldest night of the season tonight. I think the low is around 0 with wind chills significantly lower. Nice night to stay home with a book...

Speaking of which, I've just cracked into James Swanson's "Bloody Crimes". It's a dual story about Lincoln's body returning to Illinois and the hunt for Jefferson Davis just after the assassination. I really liked Swanson's previous book on Lincoln's assassination titled "Manhunt", so I'm in for round two. [Harper Collins]

Movies! We're getting closer to Oscar time, so we must catch up with some of the contenders. The nominations will be announced next week, but Brooke and I kicked off the viewing with The King's Speech last night at Carmike. What a great movie. Good story and solid acting made it a lot of fun. I really like Geoffrey Rush, and he does a tremendous job. Colin Firth already took home the Golden Globe for his work in this one and I think he's the odds on favorite to win the Oscar for Best Actor. We'll should be checking out True Grit on our next visit, hopefully soon. [IMDb.com]

Poppa and Rowan, GO BEARS!

Big football Sunday coming up! I know I have quite a few Chicago Bear fans that read the blog. It's been a pretty amazing run for the Bears this year, considering most people feel their quarterback Jay Cutler isn't very good. Cutler is a fellow type 1 diabetic, so I've always been partial to him. However, he has an attitude sometimes that's hard to take. I think that's where people turn on him. The Bears/Packers matchup for the NFC Championship is their first playoff meeting in 60 seasons! These two teams have played each other more times than any other matchup, and this time it's for a trip to the Super Bowl. I'm rooting for the Bears, but I think the Packers will win this one 31-21. In the AFC Championship, I just can't root for the mouthy Jets and would have a hard time putting up with them for two weeks before the big game. So let's go Steelers 31-17!

Happy early Birthday to blog reader Paul Till. He turns 30-something or other on Tuesday the 25th. Happy Birthday Tillbilly!

I have quite a few links saved up, so let's hit this week's News Quiz and to get it started. [Chicago Tribune]

Starbucks is turning 40. So along with a larger 31 oz coffee, they are also changing their logo and some of the imaging. Changes can be seen sometime this spring. [Starbucks]

Some movie links to go with our run-up to the Oscars on Feb. 27th. Here's a list of 50 movies you must see before Oscar night. How many have you seen? I don't know who can do the whole list! Here's another list of the biggest flops of 2010. [Hey You Guys! & Box Office Mojo]

Which way to the car?

How long have humans been drinking wine? A dig in Armenia says it's close to 6,000 years! [Washington Post]

And a good follow-up to how long we've been drinking to how good is the advice you've gotten on the effects of drinking? Most of which is probably wrong![Washington Post]

Thinking about spring gets me thinking about golf. If you've always wanted to play the Masters at Augusta National, you can now on the new EA Sports Tiger Woods golf game for 2011. FORE! [Tees2Greens.com]

Here's a great link on how to reuse your old T-shirts. I've always though I'd get a quilt made of mine and I have some good ones. [Huffington Post]

Try to stay warm! Trust me, Spring is coming!

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Summer Weather in October!

An oldie, but a goodie

This is what fall weather is all about! Going to hit the 80's again tomorrow, but then have the nice cool evening. Love this fall weather!

I think the horses don't mind it as well. They're starting to get a bit fuzzy with their winter coats coming in, but the cool evenings are nice in the barn for them. We've even been closing the doors at night, which might take some getting used to for them.

Football last week was a 50/50 experience. With me and Uncle Dave in attendance, IU came up short vs. Michigan on Saturday afternoon, but the Redskins took care of the Eagles in Philly on Sunday afternoon. We'll mention fantasy football again when my team actually wins a game! Ugh, it's going to be a long season there. Happy 50th to 17th Street Stadium, now called Memorial Stadium, in Bloomington. [Inside Indiana]

An early Happy Birthday to my brother Christian. He turns 36 Thursday and will be in Fort Wayne to celebrate! Don't hurt yourself running about Chicago this weekend, bro!

This week's News Quiz. [Chicago Tribune]

The new Nissan Leaf is a 100% electric car. The government and the company are piling up the incentives to get people to make that purchase. [Nissan & New York Times]

The US Army scientists and university entomologists may have found the reason for the sudden honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder. That's a pretty neat collaboration there. [New York Times & Wikipedia]

Indiana University baseball coach Tracy Smith and IU Athletic's 24 Sports - One Team philosophy. [Indiana Daily Student]

Have a great weekend! IU vs. Ohio State and Washington vs. Green Bay could get ugly, but that's why they play the games!

Driving the grocery cart at Kroger

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Super Bowl Weekend Edition

Rowan reading a book with mom this week. Rowan's had a rough week with a cold, but is getting better. It was nice hanging with her the last two mornings. We had fun...

Finally going to get around to playing this game: Super Bowl XLIV (44 for the Roman numeral illiterate)! I've been thinking about my pick for a while now. I've done pretty well so far in the Divisional round 3-1, Championship round 2-0, Pro Bowl 1-0. I'm making strictly moneyline picks, not working with the spread on these! My call for SB44 is Colts 37 - 31. [NFL.com & About.com]

Fort Wayne Fantasy Football League Super Bowl party and awards at our house on Sunday. It's a tradition, and this year I get to keep the trophy for the Fantasy Bowl. I'm going to savor that reception at halftime on Sunday. We then immediately draw for the draft order for next season. Get started right away! Of course draft day is September 3rd, so we have a long wait. [SpydeysWebb.com]

News Quiz and more after the jump...

Saturday January 30th

Didn't have a picture to add on the blog yesterday, so I saved the update for Saturday and took the photo this evening when we were all playing in the basement.

No real football game this weekend, but I'll say the AFC beats the NFC in the Pro Bowl 52-45. Bring on the Super Bowl!

News Quiz and more after the jump...

Friday January 22nd

TGIF. That's Rowan and me watching some Sesame Street this week. She's getting her hair put up in a ponytail at Matthew's House. I think it may be time for a trim...it would be her first. Early Birthday shoutout to Paul 'Tillbilly' Lang...Happy 40th bro! Just kidding, I know you're younger than I...

We're down to the penultimate football weekend with Championships Sunday. I went 3-1 last week in my picks, the Jets messed me up. Now lots are picking the Jets to mess up the Colts. Not me, Colts 27-17. I'm taking the other home team on the NFC side too, Saints over Vikings 38-34. [NFL.com]

Spring Training is just around the corner. Cubs signed up with the Cactus League for the next 25 years this week. They'll remain in Mesa, AZ. To get you going on Cubbie news (I know you're dying for it), you can find the latest Cubbie blogs to follow. I'm partial to Bleed Cubbie Blue, myself. Another article talking about the Cubs letting Maddux do his thing with the team in ST, especially the pitchers. He's got a great track record for helping guys have career years. [Yahoo.com & Chicago Sun-Times]

News Quiz and more after the jump...

Friday January 15th

Spring-like weather this week! I know that winter will blast us again, but it was nice to be above 32 degrees for the last couple of days. I know Butsu enjoyed it more outside as well. That's Rowan up there in her new rocking chair from her Omoe. She really likes rocking away!

Uncle Dave got me and my buddy Jason some killer seats for the Pacers/Suns game this last Wednesday. Check out our view in the bottom photo! Like I told a few friends via text that night, our feet were ON the floor. Very sweet seats and an even better victory for the Pacers. [NBA.com]

Big football weekend starting tomorrow...I'm taking all the home teams this round: Saints over Cardinals 45-35, Colts over Ravens 31-20, Vikings over Cowboys 24-21, and Chargers over Jets 31-17. [NFL.com]

This week's News Quiz, I only missed the Teddy Pendergrass one. [Chicago Tribune]

Award season kicks off this weekend with the Golden Globes. That can only mean the Oscars are right around the corner. I plan on doing my Oscar pick 'em again this year, so study up with this per-Oscar award show rundown of potential winners. [Golden Globes & LA Times]

The movie Avatar keeps doing boffo box office. Have you seen it yet? There's yet another article this week that asks if the way it was made will change the movie industry. [IMDb.com & Box Office Mojo & NY Times]

The Spider-Man movies that we've known are no more. They've decided to go in a different direction. Not yet sure what I think about this. [LA Times]

Cubs in the news again this week with the hiring of future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux to the front office. Great move in my humble opinion, only 79 days until Opening Day (Spring Training begins Feb. 17th)! [Chicago Tribune]

Set your DVRs as Day 8 of the show 24 kicks off with the first two hours of Jack's day on Sunday night. [Fox TV]

Haven't played football in Wrigley since the Bears left in 1970, but there could be some games there as soon as this fall. [Chicago Tribune]

Some good news for Type 1 Diabetics from the money raised on our Walk to Cure Diabetes from last October. [JDRF]

Enjoy the warm weekend!

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Friday January 8th

2010 is here and so is the winter! We got over 3" yesterday in this winter and year's first significant snow fall. Shoveling was quite a task last night, knew I should have bought that snow blower! This week's pictures are from Brooke and Rowan's visit to the mall. She's on the Bob the Builder ride, tweaking his nose!

Redskins got a new coach this week, at least for them. Even Brooke had heard of Mike Shanahan before. He's got two rings, and I know for a fact that he's better than Jim Zorn. So I'm all for it. It's just like the Redskins to make news in the off-season rather than the playoffs that kick off Saturday. Maybe next year. [Washington Post & NFL.com]

One of my most favorite Cubs off all time was voted into the Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Andre Dawson gets in on his ninth attempt, and that's a very good thing. Still not sure what cap he'll wear: Cubs or Expos. [Chicago Tribune & Baseball Reference]

This week's News Quiz. Got my usual 70%, with a few guesses that came through for me. [Chicago Tribune]

Got my Avatar review up on the main page last weekend. We really enjoyed it. Got an average of 9/10 from the five reviewers that went with us. The way Cameron filmed this was truly ground breaking. [SpydeysWebb & LA Times]

Lots of big movies coming out this summer during blockbuster season, beginning with Iron Man 2 on May 7th. Who's in? Many of these movies will be competing against each other on the same opening weekend. Which ones and how will each do? [IMDb.com & LA Times]

I'd love to have a mistake like this happen to me...you know, buy something you didn't mean to and boom, millions of dollars. [Atlanta Journal Constitution]

The Lipizzaner Stallions are putting on a show in Miami. I thought Brooke would like this article and picture. [Official Lipizzaner Site & Miami Herald]

Who's more popular, dogs or cats? [Chicago Tribune]

Try to stay warm this weekend, wherever you are. Minus zero wind chills up here in The Fort! [Journal Gazette]

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HAPPY NEW YEAR! Friday December 31st

Happy New Year! Have a safe and happy celebration tonight. We'll be spending it with friends and Rowan will be there too. Good times.

Rowan had an amazing Christmas this year. The whole Sheridan clan was in town for the holiday week and then a full day with the Taylors on Christmas day. Rowan cleaned up a bit! A rocking chair, an Elmo color table/chair set, clothes, Mega Blocks, an Elmo phone, wooden blocks from Santa, an Elmo puppet, shopping cart, books, her first bike...did I mention Elmo stuff?!? Time for a picture update sometime this weekend showing all this cool stuff.

Above is Rowan with Poppa Hans showing off her Butler Bulldog shirt. Notice the Butler B in the background, we didn't even plan that (picture from Poppa). Below is a group hug with Uncle Zach and Harrison (picture from Uncle Christian). What a great Christmas week!

We actually saw a movie last week! The Sheridan family went to take in Avatar on Saturday night. It was a good movie and I should have my review up sometime this weekend. [IMDb.com & SpydeysWebb]

It was a great finish to the Fort Wayne Fantasy Football League for the Ninja Monkeys. Took home the championship in the Fantasy Bowl! I won in 1999, which was my second year in the league. I then lost my next 5 trips to the title game before my win last weekend. I'll take it! Can't wait until the Super Bowl party when I get that FWFFL Cup in my hands! [SpydeysWebb]

Lots of prediction articles out there this week. I liked this one that tries to predict what the media world will look like in 2010. [LA Times]

Remember the writer's strike from 2007? Well, most people really don't. But that little strike messed up some movies release schedules. Lots of movies shot in 2007 and early 2008 are getting their releases in Jan. and Feb. of 2010. [NY Times]

Told you about this guy after April's NFL Draft. He was the Redskins first round pick and now Brian Orakpo is the Redskins only All Pro. [SpydeysWebb & Washington Post]

Have an awesome long weekend! See you next year.

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Sheridan Week! Friday September 18th

It's the last weekend of summer, so that must mean the Sheridan Invitational is upon us. Looks like great weather for tomorrow's 11th SIGT. It'll be nice to see many of you joining us at Lakeside. I think there's going to be around 30 golfers taking part. T-shirts are pretty sweet too. I should have some pictures up sometime this weekend or early next week.

The above photo is of Rowan at the IU game last weekend. She had a blast! It helped dad that the Hoosiers held on to win, Rowan wouldn't have minded either way. Her first tailgate has her passing the pigskin around. Good times. By the way, Rowan is 13 months old today!

This week's News Quiz and Pop Quiz...yet again good in one and average in the others. [Chicago Tribune]

Depressing news for beer drinkers, especially pilsners, and the changing climate. [New Scientist]

I sometimes do wonder just what is Butsu thinking...[Time]

There's money to be made in the blog business...really? [NY Times]

An interesting all decade team for major league baseball. Hard to believe that the aughts are almost done. [Sports Illustrated]

China's the next market for the NFL. Playing catch up with the other pro sports. [Washington Post]

Rowan, 1 year ago today.

Have a great weekend. The Sheridan awaits!

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